Wednesday, 24 August 2011

It's now the time of year when many parents start shopping for Back to School gear. So much waste is produced every year in Ontario's schools. Why not help to reduce waste this year by buying litter-less lunch gear? Investing in reusable lunch gear might be a bit of an investment upfront but it will payout over the lifetime of the product and you are also investing into our environment. Look out for these features when buying your reusable lunch products:

Washable materials: Juicy fruits, sandwiches and leaky drinks can really leave a mess. Look for reusable products that are washable in either the dishwasher or in the laundry.

Safe materials: Make sure that the products you choose are made of safe materials as they come in contact with your food.

TheKids Konserveleak-proof Nesting Trio is the perfect solution for packing yogurt, fruit salad, applesauce, pasta, salad, hummus, apples and peanut butter, bagels and more! Use them to store your leftovers in the fridge. Since they nest perfectly inside one another they will take up very little space in your cupboard.

These baggies are a chic and functional alternative to disposable plastic baggies and wraps. Made of a 100% cotton exterior with water-resistant nylon liner, they are easy to use, reusable and washable. The secure Velcro closure makes them ideal for sandwiches, dry snacks, travel and storage. The baggies can be washed by hand or in the dishwasher or laundry.

The stainless steel bento is specially designed with an leak-proof lid and insulating sleeve, making it a versatile, safe and eco-friendly food storage solution. Great for storing sandwiches, pasta, salads and more! TheBPA free protective sleeve reduces temperature transfer to protect little hands and keep your food warm, or cold, longer. It also helps to keep contents fresher by minimizing temperature changes.

Freezer safe

BPA-, phthalate-, PVC- and lead FREE!

Here are some more ideas on how you can prevent pollution in and around school:

Bike, walk or carpool to school

Use less toxic glues, markers or paints

Buy unbleached, recycled paper

Use both sides of paper

Share your ideas on how to prevent waste and pollution in school with us!

Friday, 19 August 2011

You are thinking about using cloth diapers? Great! You’re in the right place. We’ll help you to understand all you need to know about cloth diapering. It’s easy and Mother Earth will thank you.

Cloth diapers have come a long way. Times of leaky, bulky cloth diapers which were held together by safety pins are gone and have been replaced by new high tech performing materials and fabrics. Many parents are still worried about cleaning messy cloth diapers, but modern cloth diapers make clean up an easy task.

Today’s cloth diapers come in a huge variety of fun prints and beautiful colours with either Velcro or snap closures for easy fastening, and elastics in the back and leg openings to keep in the poop. They are waterproof and breathable and most importantly they keep your baby’s bum healthy.

New designs like the All-In-One make cloth diapering as easy as using disposable diapers. At Ava’s Appletree we know that understanding the many options of cloth diapering can be overwhelming to a new mom and dad. Let us help shed some light into the many choices available to you.

Once you are into your routine you will be surprised how easy it is to cloth diaper your baby.